“The American people will never knowingly adopt Socialism. But under the name of ‘liberalism’ they will adopt every fragment of the Socialist program, until one day America will be a Socialist nation, without knowing how it happened.”

Socialist Party presidential candidate Norman Thomas

Monday, February 15, 2016

Immigration reform must be reasonable, not outrageous

So this is the essence of Rubio's plan to deal with the 12-20 illegal aliens already living, going to school, and working here. I think it sounds reasonable given that there's no way this country will ever round up that many people, then bus and dump them into the Rio Grande to wade home.

[First, those here illegally must come forward and be registered. If they have committed serious crimes or have not been here long enough, they will have to leave. With the new E-Verify system in place, they are going to find it difficult to find a job in any case.

Second, those who qualify would be allowed to apply for a temporary nonimmigrant visa. To obtain it they will have to pay an application fee and a fine, undergo a background check and learn English. Once they receive this work permit, they would be allowed to work legally and travel. To keep it, they will have to pay taxes. They would not qualify for government programs like Obamacare, welfare or food stamps. And if they commit a crime while in this status, they would lose their permit.

Third and finally, those who qualify for a nonimmigrant visa will have to remain in this status for at least a decade. After that, they would be allowed to apply for permanent residency if they so choose. Many who qualify for this status will choose to remain in it indefinitely. But those who choose to seek permanent residency would have to do it the way anyone else would, not through any special pathway.]

Additionally, I don't think they are coming here purely for the jobs and would return home without them. The standard of living here is the draw so even if you disqualify them for legitimate jobs with E-verify, the US economy is so vast and complex that they'll just find off-book work and recede further into the shadows here rather than go home to live in third-world poverty and hopelessness.

For hardliners like Trump who brag that he'll deport everybody, promising to make them stand in line, it's bull shit. What's he gonna do, build thousands of Mexican orphanages to house all the legal, American-born kids whose illegal parents just got deported? I get that it's red meat to rabid Trump followers to say stuff like that, but it'll never happen.